Subject: Re: stdio FILE extension
To: NetBSD Userlevel Technical Discussion List <tech-userlevel@netbsd.org>
From: Todd Vierling <tv@wasabisystems.com>
List: tech-userlevel
Date: 10/19/2001 21:46:15
On Fri, 19 Oct 2001, Greg A. Woods wrote:

: > Actually, libc.so.13 *did* exist.  It was the brokenness that ensued that
: > caused us to make the commitment to back down to .12 and stay there.

: Properly done, and with appropriate support mechanisms in place
: beforehand, it should be relatively painless.

"Appropriate support mechanisms" is far more than a SMOP.  What you're
implying, possibly without even knowing it, is a boatload of extra baggage
in ld that walks the line of ELF compliance.

After the breakage, we analyzed the issue in depth and realized just how
widespread the problem is.

: > Sun found out the problems with bumping the libc major a long, long time ago
: > -- back in the SunOS days, even before Solaris.
:
: NetBSD isn't in the same boat as any OS Sun ever released or likely ever
: will release.

And this attitude is why most of us don't take you seriously most of the
time.

NetBSD does have an installed base to take care of, whether or not you
personally see it between the horse-blinders.  You may be perfectly happy
recompiling the system on a particular dividing point, but the multitude of
NetBSD users are not.

-- 
-- Todd Vierling <tv@wasabisystems.com>  *  Wasabi NetBSD:  Run with it.
-- CDs, Integration, Embedding, Support -- http://www.wasabisystems.com/